1A is truly going to be a treat this year. The regional circuit did a great job in making sure the best players are in the finals already; the list of seeded players is good for the sport of yo-yoing as every single one of them is extremely innovative and big names in advancing yo-yoing. There are five or six names that have legitimate shots at taking home the title and we list some of the names we are most excited about seeing. Due to the pure number of competitors, we cannot cover everyone and the nature of competitive yo-yo boils down to who can hit their stuff on stage during their three minutes so underestimate no one.

Top 1A Contenders

Zach Gormley – Defending National Champion

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The defending champion is by far the most impressive player in the United States at the moment. His tricks are extremely innovative and all very visually appealing while still maintaining technical difficulty. But Zach has had switch outs in his last two major competitions in Bay Area Classic and Worlds and he has had a tough time recovering from it. There is certainly the chance it could happen again and open the door for someone to take the champion down.

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Defending National Champion Zach Gormley has proven himself to be not only a leading contender for any contest he attends, but also one of the most innovative and influential players of this generation. Even with his amazingly undervalued 7th Place finish at this years World YoYo Contest, Zach has some serious momentum built up from his year of work with Innovation Movement and strong First Place finishes at PNWR and SCR. Zach has spent the year as THE player to beat and this weekend everyone else in the 1A Division has their work cut out for them.

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Gentry Stein

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Gentry missed out on the finals this year at the World Yo-Yo Contest so he will be hungry. Coming in second last year only compounds his aspirations to take home the cup this year. Gentry is a hometown favorite and knows how to cater his routine to the demands out outdoor Chico;  he always has beautifully constructed routines that match the music almost trick for trick—something that is often dramatically underappreciated. Gentry has all of the tools to win, and Zach and Anthony are the only people who can possibly beat him straight up. If Gentry goes cleaner than those two, he will take it.

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Gentry Stein failing to make Finals at the World YoYo Contest was absolutely crushing to everyone in attendance. 2013 has been a great year for this rising star…the release of his new signature yoyo, the Shutter, some great video parts, a historic tie for First Place at the Bay Area Classic and a win at California States would have satisfied most players for a while, but it’s only made Gentry hungrier. He’s been gunning for the top spot for a while now, and if anyone is a major threat to Zach, it’s Gentry.

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Sebastian Brock – Former National Champion

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Sebastian failed to make it to the finals at the World Contest for the second straight year after his 2nd place finish in the 2011 World Yo-Yo Contest which means we haven’t see Sebastian compete in a while–this makes it tough to know how he will do but he was on top of the yo-yo world not so long ago so he should be considered a threat still. He is another incredibly innovative thinker in the yo-yo world and only adds to the great lineup–from an entertainment standpoint.

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Sebby is a wildcard this year. We haven’t seen much of him on the contest scene, but with one National title already under his belt and an established track record of mind-blowing and highly original play that players love and judges love to click, he’s absolutely a contender and it would be foolish to consider him anything less than a threat.

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Isaac Sams

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Isaac is an exciting name to see on the seeded players list. Right now, he is probably not a top contender but top 5 is certainly within reach, but anyone can win on any given day—it really comes down to who hits their stuff. Isaac has tons of innovative concepts and his (becoming) signature straightjacket tricks are super exciting. He has faltered in consistency at times but his routine at Bay Area Classic was a pure joy to watch and a guaranteed three minutes will allow Isaac to construct a well thought out routine which will certainly increase his shot at top 5.

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Isaac Sams is on the short-list for players we expect to scoop up their first National title within the next few years. A leading force in the innovation of modern 1A yoyo play, he’s easily Top Five material at any contest when he’s on his game. He’s not as consistent yet as he needs to be, but on his best days he is absolutely National Champion material. Will this Saturday be his best day?

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Alec Campbell

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Alec is another player that will probably not be a top contender but his guaranteed three minutes is good for the competition. His innovation and style is much needed when competitive yo-yoing can sometimes devolve to scoring as many clicks in three minutes  and style is sacrificed—but not with Alec.  As with Isaac, the seed will allow him to construct a routine and practice it with confidence without having to split his time with a one minute that requires an entirely different type of yo-yoing. He is also a threat for top 5.

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Alec Campbell has been building plenty of buzz with great video parts this year, and Top Five finishes at Midwest Regionals and Kansas States. His prelim at Worlds showed promise, but wasn’t enough to push him through to finals. Alec will need to pick up some speed to get enough trick density to be a serious contender at Nationals, but he’s proven that he’s got the skill.

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Kevin Nicholas

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Kevin has been competing sparingly, Asia Pacific being his last competition and his performance was impressive. The fact he hasn’t been on stage in over three minutes means he will have lots of practice under his belt and probably some new tricks. Kevin brings incredibly acrobatic tricks to the stage which evokes lots of cheers from the crowd and his performance at Pacific Northwest Regional proves he can hang with Zach and Gentry and should be considered a real threat to take the title.

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Kevin Nicholas is a rising star of the YoYoFactory team, and with promising showings at AP 2013, California States, and PNWR, he’s made enough noise that we think if he goes clean, he could take a spot in the Top Five.

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Andrew Maider

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Andrew is another player on the rise. Missing out on finals at Worlds this year also gave him time to focus on his guaranteed three minutes at Nationals which should ensure a well-constructed three minutes.  Andrew took fourth last year and with another year of experience and development, he should be considered a big threat and can take the cup. He has the technical tricks and innovation to score high and it comes down to how he hits them on stage

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Andrew Maider had strong showings at MA States and BAC, and took his Nationals seed from a solid 1st Place win at NER. He had a promising prelim at Worlds, but just couldn’t go clean enough to earn a spot in finals. Andrew isn’t at the top of his game yet, but he could lock in a Top Five placing for himself this weekend and set himself up for a run at next year’s cup.

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Anthony Rojas

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Anthony is perhaps the most beloved 1A player in all of the United States. His innovation is appreciated by everyone and his freestyle construction is always improving. Anthony is in the top 3 for contention with Zach and Gentry; he, too, did not qualify at the World competition which gave him time to fine tune his routine and practice it. Anthony has had trouble with switch outs last year and if he can avoid any major deductions, he will be right there for the cup. Everyone wants to see Anthony hit his routine the way Anthony wants to do it.

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Rojas, Rojas…when’s it going to be his time? One of the most inventive players in the game, and a tremendous crowd favorite, Anthony Rojas is an incredible talent sponsored by a dodgy company. It’s hard to say if picking up a better sponsor could give him the resources to make a solid run at the championship, but he could still get there on his own, and his solid routines at BAC, California States, and Semi Finals at Worlds, as well as his stunning win at BLC prove that he’s absolutely got the skill to pull this off. But does he have the drive? Does he want it as badly as his competition?

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Harold Owens III – Former National Champion

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Harold had a tough World Contest showing not qualifying to the semi-finals so he will be coming to Worlds with a polished three minute routine but he has to go through prelims again which could potentially trip him up again—his style does not suit one minute routines well at all. Harold has never prided himself on speed; his brilliance is seen in his trick development, set up and most importantly his stage presence but all of that is lost in one minute routines. Harold will be a threat to take the cup but he has to make it to finals first.

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Harold has one win already under his belt and is a busy college student; he’s got the skill for sure, but it’s hard to say how bad he wants another National title. But here’s the thing about that level of skill…if he wakes up Saturday morning and decides that he wants it, Harold could probably take home another cup. His Prelim at Worlds was good, but not dense enough to move him through to Finals..that said, his pacing is something that has always played well with the judges in longer routines.

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Paul Han – Former National Champion

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Paul Han is a legend of yo-yo and is a threat to win in any competition he joins; however, he has been out of the scene for a bit of time now so it will be very interesting to see what he has come up with since he last competed. It is tough to say what his chances are without having seen him play in months but don’t sleep on Paul, ever. If Paul comes out with great new stuff and hits it, he can take home another cup.

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Would anyone really be surprised if Paul Han showed up and just straight monkeystomped everyone? Paul has been a dominant competitor since the late 90s, and has kept his skills current. He’s more comfortable on stage than pretty much anyone else who will be there, and if anyone could come out of left field and upset all predictions, it would be Paul Han.

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Eric Tranton

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Eric was the top American at the World competition which is no small feat. Last year the top American at the World competition was the US Champion so Eric is in good company. Eric is a multi-talented player drawing influences from his highly skilled 3A repertoire and creating extremely technical tricks. Eric has also been dramatically increasing his choreography and this completes his check-list before taking the title. Eric is my darkhorse to take the title.

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Fresh off a stellar 4th Place showing at the World YoYo Contest, Eric Tranton is a strong contender in both the 1A and 3A divisions at this years National YoYo Contest. Up until yesterday, Eric didn’t think he was going to be able to make it to the contest…will this last-minute change be the decision that brings him TWO Nationals titles? We’re definitely looking forward to seeing what Eric brings to the stage.

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